Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the notion that the Islamic Republic uses proxy forces, during a public address on Sunday (December 22).

According to Reuters, he said: "The Islamic Republic does not have a representative force. Yemen fights because it has faith, Hezbollah fights because the power of faith brings it to the field, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fight because their belief forces them to do so.”

"They do not represent us. If we want to act one day, we don't need a proxy force," Khamenei said.

Western countries and some regional governments describe groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hashd al Shaabi in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen as "Iranian proxy forces," an accusation that Iran has consistently denied.